Black History Month

Willie Stewart is a Retired School Administrator who spent 36 years working for the Tacoma School District as a teacher and administrator and sat on the Tacoma School Board from 1999 to 2005. He remains heavily involved in local organizations and his list of volunteer work is lengthy, including serving on United Way’s Centennial Campaign Committee to commemorate our 100th birthday.

The Willie Stewart Community Service Scholarship celebrates and recognizes Pierce County high school seniors who have given back to their community through volunteer service. United Way of Pierce County began administering the scholarship in 2000 and we are proud to partner with Willie to continue that legacy.
 

Isiaah Crawford, Ph.D. has served as the President of University of Puget Sound since 2016. As a first-generation college student who went on to a successful career as a clinical psychologist, tenured professor, and higher education executive, Dr. Crawford believes in the transformative power of higher education and its ability to promote human potential, economic and social mobility, and engaged citizenship. He serves as the chair of the board of directors of the Independent Colleges of Washington, a member of the Executive Council for a Greater Tacoma, and a member of the board of directors for the American Council on Education, Northwest Conference, as well as Providence St. Joseph Health and Providence Health Plan.
 

Ivan L. Harrell II., Ph.D., proudly serves as the President at Tacoma Community College (TCC) and has done so since 2018. A native of Oberlin, Ohio, Dr. Harrell was a first-generation student who began his career in community colleges at Tallahassee Community College. Inspired by the diverse, intelligent, hard-working students he met at Tallahassee, Dr. Harrell dedicated his career to advancing the community college mission. As a higher education leader, he aims to support as many community college students as possible to achieve their academic and career goals.
 

Lawrence Garrett is considered a modern-day cultural savant. Known by many for his knack for decoding cultural behaviors that either support or undermine values and performance, Lawrence has grown a reputation for getting to the heart of the matter by identifying specific behaviors that directly impact business outcomes. Over the last 15 years, Lawrence was able to hone these skills through his current consulting practice, Eight-Twenty-Eight, LLC., focusing on Leadership and Inclusion in the greater Pierce County area, his prior role as Executive Director of Advancing Leadership, as well as his numerous partnerships and consultative work with various non-profits within the community.

His talents, temperament, and tenure as a leadership trainer, performance coach, and equity and inclusion practitioner provide a unique combination of results, relationship, and emotional quotient enhancement. Lawrence takes pride in his ability to assess, design, and shift culture for maximum impact. A colleague and friend said it best about Lawrence, “He knows how to ‘change the weather’ in any environment he’s in.”
 

Sebrena Chambers is the Director of the Strengthening Families/Community Health Division at Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department. Her division includes Parent, Child, and Family Health, Behavioral Health, Treatment Services, Injury & Violence Prevention, and Healthy Eating-Active Living programs. Sebrena has been with the health department for approximately twenty-seven years. She was raised in Tacoma and has always been active in her community, serving on many community boards. She is currently the board chair of United Way of Pierce County. She fosters trust, collaboration, and inclusivity, ensuring all voices are at the table.
 

Victoria Woodards has called the “City of Destiny” her home for nearly her entire life. She is a proud graduate of Tacoma’s Lincoln High School and a veteran of the United States Army. As Mayor, she has been a champion of equity issues and Anti-Racist systems transformation while expanding her involvement in regional and national efforts advocating for homelessness solutions and affordable housing, public safety, support for youth and families, growing local business, and the creation of family wage jobs.

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Tanisha Jumper, Tacoma School District, Chief Communication Officer
I grew up in Steilacoom WA. I’m a graduate of Wilberforce University, the first black-owned and operated HBCU established in 1856, Wilberforce Ohio. I have 20 years of experience in social services and have spent the last 9 years working in the public sector in strategy and communications. I serve on the boards of the Foundation for Tacoma Students, Mary Bridge Children's Hospital, United Way of Pierce County Board Chair and Chair of their Community Impact Cabinet. 
 

Kiara Daniels, City of Tacoma Council Member At-Large Position 6
 
A proud Tacoma native and resident of Central Tacoma’s Hilltop neighborhood, At-Large Council Member Kiara Daniels is a longtime community advocate who values giving back and helping to build a stronger community. After earning a master’s degree in public administration from Evergreen State College, she dedicated her career in public service to supporting young people, increasing affordable housing, and expanding local business development. Council Member Daniels prioritizes uplifting and engaging under-represented community members, and she strives to ensure their voices are heard across city government. In 2020, she was awarded the City of Tacoma’s Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Emerging Leader Award for her commitment to service, and she describes all of her work to date as her “love letter” to Tacoma.
 

Sr. Pastor - Abundant Life Community Worship Center (ALCWC)

Pastor Dan has worked tirelessly in the hilltop community for decades.
He dedicated most of his younger years to the youth ministry, which he grew to a weekly gathering of over 200 youth per week.
Kids would take the bus to be at the Oasis of Hope Center (that Dan's father built) before the doors opened.  Some even walked.  This is an indication of how much it helped them not focus on their life circumstances.

Deacon Dan, as many affectionately call him to this day, was known to buy Christmas gifts for families when they didn't have the finances to do so themselves.
He took calls early and late to help guide troubled youth.  He served then and continues even now serving people with his whole heart.

Many of the young people he led are now accomplished adults.  People with prestigious positions in life, including Kev on Stage and Dr. Raphael to name a few.

These young adults reach out to "Deacon Dan" from all over the nation and the world because of the positive impact he had on their lives.

He has pastored ALCWC in University Place for the last eight years.

Besides serving God and people, his greatest joy is his family.  His wife of 40 years, his two adult sons, daughter-in-love and three beautiful granddaughters.